Inputting formulas that include mathematical equations, formulas, and the like may be required to perform document work, to perform calculations in a curriculum, or to analyze data in an industrial or laboratory environment. The formula may be assigned to a calculation engine and processed. Specifically, a front end of a computing engine (e.g., Mathematica) may implement numerical computations and graphical representations based on input formulas. The front end means preprocessing or control between a host computer and a user. Also, a formula may be input into a search engine. The search engine may search for information related to formulas using the input formula. Thus, inputting of a formula is a first step in applying the formula.
Accordingly, the present disclosure includes a method and an apparatus for inputting a formula more efficiently.
In general, formula input methods may be classified into two types. The two formula input methods may be a keyboard/mouse based formula input method and a handwriting recognition based formula input method.
The keyboard/mouse based input method generally may include two types. The keyboard/mouse based input method may include a string-based formula input such as LaTeX, and a formula editor-based input such as a formula editor of a word processor. To use a string-based formula input method, a user should generally be familiar with how to map a relationship between a string and a two-dimensional formula. In order to use a formula editor-based input method, the user may use a specific character list provided by the word processor and/or character inputs through a keyboard to select a structure of special characters and formulas (for example, a summation sign, integration symbol, etc.).
In order to use the keyboard/mouse-based formula input method described above, the user must be familiar with a formula structure and directly input all the contents of a formula to be input. For example, to input a sum symbol (I) to calculate a sum of values, the user must first input the sum symbol and then input lower and upper limit values of the sum.
According to the handwriting-based input method that will be described later, the user may input the formula directly by handwriting. The formula input method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present specification may recognize a formula written directly by the user and may convert the formula into a printed font.